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UCSF's Mini Medical School V Offers Opportunity

February 14, 2003
News Office: S. Gettys (415) 476-2557

UCSF kicks off Mini Medical School V in April with a new six-week series of lectures every Wednesday from April 2 to May 14 focusing on the theme "learn and discover."

Mini Medical School is open to the general public and designed for people who want to learn more about science and the intricate workings of the human body. The course will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. on the UCSF campus in Cole Hall at 513 Parnassus Ave. Each weekly class includes a one-hour lecture followed by a question and answer session. Participants also have the option of signing up for "elective" classes on Saturday, April 12, which feature one-hour visits to various UCSF Medical Center units as well as campus research and computer labs.

"Mini Med is structured to approximate some of the core learning that health science students experience in their first two years of study," said Allan Basbaum, PhD, UCSF professor and chair of anatomy who also serves as Mini Med course director and series moderator. "We hope it gives members of our community the opportunity to see and hear what goes on every day in our classrooms and to become better educated health consumers."

The Mini Med faculty will include some of the best UCSF teachers and scientists who are passionate about their work including some who have received teaching awards. The faculty will communicate to the participants in a simple, straightforward way and will discuss the latest findings in health sciences research and patient care. Participants are not required to do homework or take exams. Tuition for the course is $75. Parking in the UCSF campus garage is $3 per session.

UCSF first offered the public education course in fall 1999 to a sold-out audience. Over the years the courses have covered a variety of topics. Space is limited to 400 so early registration is encouraged. For registration information, call the UCSF Public Affairs office at (415) 476-2557 or email sgettys@pubaff.ucsf.edu For more information about UCSF, visit the Web site at www.ucsf.edu.

A complete schedule for UCSF Mini Medical School classes follows:

• April 2: Dr. Dan Lowenstein, professor of neurology and director, UCSF Epilepsy Program, presents "Epilepsy and Seizures: New Insights Into 'The Sacred Disease.'"
• April 9: Dr. Howard Fields, Ph.D., professor of neurology and physiology, presents "Addiction is a Brain Disease."
• April 12: Elective Saturday.
• April 16: No lecture - Passover.
• April 23: Dr. Louann Brizendine, clinical professor of psychiatry, chief of the Women's Mood and Hormone Clinic and co-director, Program in Sexual Health, presents "Females, Hormones and Sex."
• April 30: Dr. Jeanine Wiener-Kronish, professor of anesthesia and medicine, and vice chair of anesthesiology and perioperative care; Dr. Manuel Pardo, assistant clinical professor; Dr. Merlin D. Larson, clinical professor and Dr. James M. Sonner, associate clinical professor, present "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: Anesthesia and Perioperative Care in the 21st Century."
• May 7: Dr. Homer Boushey, professor of medicine and director, UCSF Asthma Clinical Research Center, presents "Asthma, Allergens, Infections and Treatment: Friend or Foe?"
• May 14: Dr. Jonathan Horton, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology, neurology and physiology, presents "A Window On the World: The Eyes, Brain and Perception."

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